LOUISVILLE -- Public input on a controversial proposed mixed-use complex at the site of an abandoned Safeway store went late enough into the night Thursday that the Planning Commission decided to postpone making any decision on the project until March 8.

Thursday's hearing was the second the commission has held on the proposal and, once again, a large crowd showed up.

Most voiced displeasure with project, saying it would be too dense and tall. They also expressed concerns about what effect the project -- at the intersection of Centennial Drive and South Boulder Road -- would have on traffic volumes in the area.

Boulder-based developer Jim Loftus wants to build a 195-unit apartment complex, with 10,000 square feet of retail space, on the 5-acre site that includes the empty Safeway.

The units, which would be one-bedroom and studio apartments, would rent for around $1,000 a month and would be targeted at young professionals and empty-nesters.

The Planning Commission took more than an hour of testimony from the public Thursday. Many residents told the commission that Loftus' project would depress their property values and that high-density residential buildings may be appropriate for Boulder, but not for Louisville.

"I'm concerned it's flooding the market when so many people in Louisville can't sell their homes," Sue Marie Smith said.

Others said the development would clash with the small-town feel of the neighborhood.

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"It's the character of Louisville that would be changed eternally by the building of this huge project," said Ann Deetz, who lives on a street adjacent to the proposed site.

The primary building in the proposed complex could reach a height of 54 feet and would have a 247-space parking garage. Other residential buildings would be 48 feet tall and 40 feet tall.

But Loftus' project would not be the tallest building in town. That distinction belongs to the Balfour retirement community, which clocks in at just over 56 feet tall.

Louisville Planning Director Troy Russ said the site, which is not at a major arterial intersection, has been determined to no longer be a hospitable location for a large retail store. Several residents said they recognized that fact and decided to get behind Loftus' proposal.

John Ewy said the project isn't perfect, but he said the reality is that the proposal is far more desirable than a continued empty big-box store. And he said with a "glut" of vacant commercial space in town, it's not realistic to expect a retail operation to locate there.

"If we wait for the perfect project for that site, we're going to be waiting for a long time," he said. "Let's not make the perfect the enemy of the good."

Brent Wilson, who lives just north of the Safeway, said he disagreed with many of his neighbors about the project being incompatible with the neighborhood. He sees the development as a natural extension of the revitalization the city's downtown has undergone over the last few years.

"Of the many things that can be done with the property, I'm so happy that someone is putting up a high-quality piece of property," he said.

Traffic has been a hot topic, with many residents convinced the development will cause congestion on the streets and longer wait times at traffic signals.

But traffic engineer Bill Fox said a study done by his firm shows there were 5,600 vehicle trips a day when there was a fully functional Safeway on the site and that there would be 2,150 trips a day with Loftus' development -- a decrease of 60 percent.

"Retail development generates more traffic than residential, and grocery stores have one of the highest trip generation rates," Fox said.

But Planning Commissioner Jeff Moline said he couldn't remember the last time the Safeway, which closed in May 2010, was a vibrant grocer and questioned the relevance of the traffic count comparison.

Several other commissioners, including Chairman Jeff Lipton, asked Loftus if he could make the project work financially by keeping the height of the buildings to three stories.

Loftus said it was doubtful, as that would do away with 32 units.

"It's not economical for what we're doing," he said.

The Planning Commission will take up the issue again March 8. It will then go to the City Council, which will decide whether to approve it.

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